Air-brake mechanism



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. J. GE'NETT. AIR BRAKE MECHANISM. No. 556,815. Patented Mar. 24, 1896.

ANDRM EGRANMJHGTQUTKQWASMNGIOKB C (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. J. GENETT.

AIR BRAKE MECHANISM.

No. 556,815. v Patented Mar. 24,1896.

ii I CD I 3 I i f x a) g) \mmfi Wfifiwaaa ,Zzverziar 33W 9%} WM 7 4UNITED STATES PATENT FFlCE.

LOUIS J. GENETT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS,TO GEORGE E. FREI,

OF MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN.

AIR-BRAKE MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,815, dated March24, 1896.

Application filed October 1, 1894.

To aIZZ whom. it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS J. GENETT, aeitizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Air-Brake Mechanism, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to air-brake mechanism for street and other carsand for other purposes.

The object of the invention is to provide means for automaticallymaintaining a uniform quantity and pressure of the compressed air in thecompression or storage tank, whatever may be the variation in the amountdrawn off therefrom to actuate the brake mechanism.

The invention consists substantially in the novel construction,combination and relative location and arrangement of parts, all as willbe more fully hereinafter described, as shown in the accompanyingdrawings, and finally specifically set forth in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings and to the various views andreference-signs appearing thereon, Figure l is a view partiallyin bottomplan, one-half of the housing removed and partially in horizontalsection,

of an apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation. Fig.3 is a side view of the pump-cylinder detached. Fig. 4 is an endelevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a view in horizontal longitudinalsection of the pump-cylinder supporting-plate. Fig. 6 is a transversesectional view of the same.

The same reference-sign is used to designate the same part wherever itoccurs throughout the drawings.

In carrying out my invention I provide a shaft 7 and journal the same insuitable and conveniently-arranged bearings, usually underneath the bodyof the car, and preferably adjacent to and parallel with one ofthecaraxles. Upon shaft 7 I mount a gear-wheel 8, adapted to engage agear-wheel on the caraxle.

"While I have shown gear 8 in the form of a friction-gear, and, asshown, it is arranged to bear against and receive motion from the wheel9 of the car, and while on account of its simplicity and effectiveness Iprefer this Serial No. 624,648. (No model.)

arrangement, it will be obvious that any other form of gearing may beemployed and they may be differently arranged upon their respectiveshafts, or gear 8 may be arranged to bear against and receive actiondirectly from the car-aXle,\vitl1out departing from the spiritor scopeof my invention.

Upon shaft 7 I provide a crank 10, engaged by and adapted to operate apiston-rod 11 loosely pivoted to a hollow piston 12 arranged to operatein a cylinder 13. The shaft 7 is preferably journaled in and is carriedby a hollow casting 14;, rigidly secured to the pum pcylinder in anysuitable way, and is arranged to inclose the crank portion 10 of saidshaft and also piston-rod 11. This casting may be provided with anysuitably arranged or constructed valves 15, adapted to open and admitair thereto when piston 12 is moved in a direction away from shaft 7. Inpractice I may, instead of valves 15, drill a series of small openings16 through the walls of the casting 11, through which the air may bedrawn. By either arrangement I avoid drawing in with the air dust, dirt,or solid particles of grit, &c., which cause a rapid wear of the partsand, eventually, undesirable leakages.

Oonnected to the opposite end of cylinder 13 is an educt-ion-pipe 17delivering into the storage or compression tank 18. A checkvalve 19 maybe provided in this pipe, of suitable construction, to prevent abackiiow of the compressed air from tank 18. Piston 12 is centrallybored or perforated, as at 20, and the inner end of said bore isprovided with a suitably-arranged outwardly-opening valve 21, permittingthe air to be admitted from the hollow casting ii to the cylinder 13,when the piston is moved to one end of said cylinder, but preventing itfrom returning thereto when the piston is moved in the oppositedirection, and hence forcing the air through pipe 17 into tank 18.

The compressed air contained in tank or reservoir 18 is drawn oiftherefrom through any suitably-arranged pipe, (not shown,) and utilizedto actuate the air-brake mechanism.

I will now describe the construction of my apparatus, wherebyoverpressure in the storage-tank is prevented, and whereby a uniformquantity of air and. pressure is maintained in said tank.

Reference-sign 22 designates a cylinder in which is arranged a pistonhaving a pistonrod 24,-. A pipe 25 is arranged to communicate from tank18 to one end of cylinder 23. I provide a check-valve 26 in pipe 25, ofany suitable construction, which is adapted to be opened by the abnormalpressure in the reservoir 18. By this construction it will be seen thatany excess of pressure in tank 18 above the normal or required pressuretherein opens valve 26, and hence actuates piston 23 and moves the sametoward the opposite end of cylinder 22. The end of piston-rod 24: ispivoted to one end of a lever 27, pivoted at its opposite end to a fixedsupport. A link 28 is pivotally connected at one end with lever 27,intermedi-' bottom 33 of the car is a supporting plateor casting 34,provided with dovetail guideways 35. Cast with or suitably secured tocylinder 13 are lugs or projections 36, formed to correspond with and tobe received in dovetail guideways 35. It will be seen from thisconstruction that cylinder 13 is slidably supported in guide andsupporting plate 34:. A flange 37, formed on plate 3% is perforated, asat 38, to receive rod 31 therethrough. A spring 39, coiled upon rod 31and interposed between flange 37 and on the boss on pump-cylinder 13,serves to maintain the pump-cylinder, and hence shaft-supporting casting14, normally in such a position that gears S and 9 will be in engagementwith each other, and hence in a position to normally operate theair-pump.

The operation of myimproved construction will be readily and easilyunderstood from the foregoing description.

When an excess of pressure of the air is attained in tank 18, valve 26is opened and the admission of the air to cylinder 22 causes piston 23to move. Through the system of pivoted levers, as described, thepump-cylinder 13 and housing 14 carrying shaft 7 and gear 8 are moved ina direction away from the caraxle and gear 9, and hence the operation ofthe air-pump is arrested. The movement above described of thepumpcylinder and shaft-housing is against the action of spring 39, andwhen the pressure in auxiliary cylinder 22 is reduced by being exhaustedto the outer air or otherwise returns the piston 23 and thepump-cylinder to their normal posi tions, and also causes gears 8 and 9to engage each other, and hence also sets the pump into operation.

It will be obvious that many alterations and modifications would readilysuggest themselves to persons skilled in the art and still fall withinthe spirit and scope of my invention. I do not desire, therefore, to belimited to the exact details shown and described; but.

Having now fully explained the object and nature of my invention, itsprinciple of operation, and a form of apparatus embodying the same,whatI claim as new and of my own invention, and desire to secure byLettersPat ent of the United States, is

1. In an air-brake mechanisma pump having guide-flanges, a rigid.support for said pump provided with ways adapted to receive saidflanges,means for operating said pump, a rod secured to said pump, anair-reservoir and devices actuated by excess of pressure in saidreservoir for moving said rod where by said pump is moved in theguideways therefor and the driving means are disengaged; as

and for the purpose set forth.

In an air-brake mechanism a pump having guide-flanges a supporting-plateprovided with ways adapted to receive said flanges. gearing foractuating said pump, a spring for normally maintaining said gearing inoperative engagement, an air-reservoir, an auxiliary cylinder and pistonadapted to be actuated by excess of pressure in said reservoir andconnections operated by said piston for moving said pump against theaction of said spring, whereby said gearing is disengaged: as and forthe purpose set forth.

3. In an air-brake mechanism for railwaycars, a pump, a housing carriedthereby. a shaft journaled in and supported by said housing, gearing foractuating said shaft from the car-axle, connections for actuating saidpump from said shaft, an air-reservoir, an

auxiliary cylinder and piston adapted to be actuated by excess ofpressure in said reservoir, guides for said pump, and devices aetuatedbysaid auxiliary piston for sliding said pump in said guides toward andfrom the car-axle, whereby the shaft mounted in the housing carried bysaid pump ismoved into and out of operative relation with said caraxle;as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In an air-brake mechanism for railwaycars, a pump, gearingforactuating said pump from the car-axles, guides within which said pumpis adapted to slide back and forth to throw said gearing into and out ofoperative relation, an air-reservoir arranged to be supplied from saidpump, and means actuated by excess of pressure in said reservoir forsliding said pump back and forth in its guides: as and for the purposeset forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set mv hand this 28th day ofSeptember, 189i.

LOUIS J. GENET". In presence of- M. Q. CAVANAGH, S. E. DARBY.

